'The March' 50 years later

A half century after the fact, "The March" (9 on WGBH 2, TV-PG) recalls the civil rights March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. This gathering of hundreds of thousands before the Lincoln Memorial would culminate in Dr. Martin Luther King's powerful "I Have a Dream" speech.

Comment

southcoasttoday.com

Writer

Posted Aug. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted Aug. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

A half century after the fact, "The March" (9 on WGBH 2, TV-PG) recalls the civil rights March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. This gathering of hundreds of thousands before the Lincoln Memorial would culminate in Dr. Martin Luther King's powerful "I Have a Dream" speech.

"The March" pulls together documentary footage and interviews with veterans of the march, some of whom were teenagers at the time. As it makes clear, the idea for a massive demonstration was the product of a number of overlapping groups with different agendas and personalities. The effort had received a rather hesitant blessing from President John F. Kennedy.

Part of Kennedy's reticence to embrace King's coalition stemmed from reports from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover that some in the entourage were former Communists or Communist sympathizers, a broad brush meant to silence many on the political left, the union movement or civil rights organizers.

The film never examines the political realities facing Kennedy in 1963, just a year short of seeking reelection. "The March" is at its strongest when discussing the major players of the movement, including King, young John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin. It's at its weakest when dwelling on the celebrities who performed there, or allowing Oprah Winfrey time to expand on her feelings about the event that took place when she was 9.

Journalist Roger Mudd discusses his experience as a CBS correspondent on the scene. It would be fascinating to glance back at television's role in shaping the perception of the civil rights movement and the 1963 march in particular.

At the time, network nightly news broadcasts had only just expanded to a half-hour a night, from a mere 15 minutes. It seemed the less people saw of television news, the more power it wielded. We now live in a 24-hour cable news era that proves the old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt."

It's chilling to think how Fox News would have covered the event — but not unpredictable. Sean Hannity would spend an hour caustically accusing King of "palling around with Communists." Bill O'Reilly would offer up a "Factor" memo suggesting that King was going "too far, too fast."

And, in an effort to treat segregationists in a "Fair and Balanced" manner, Birmingham Sheriff "Bull" Connor would be given his own show.

— The "Nine for IX" sports documentary series concludes with "Branded" (8 on ESPN, TV-PG), a look at sexism in sports marketing and the packaging of female athletes.

— Beginning today, the second season of ABC's "Scandal" can be streamed on Netflix.

TV-themed DVDs available today include the first season of "Elementary."

— "Extreme Weight Loss" (8 on ABC, TV-PG).

— Two face elimination on "So You Think You Can Dance" (8 on Fox, TV-14).

— A vanishing act on "Pretty Little Liars" (8 on ABC Family, TV-14).

— "America's Got Talent" (9 on NBC, TV-PG).

— A deadly drag race on "Rizzoli & Isles" (9 on TNT, TV-PG).

Annie has an intriguing new partner on "Covert Affairs" (9 on USA, TV-14).

— Lacey's choice on "Twisted" (9 on ABC Family, TV-14).

— "Storage Wars: Texas" (9 on A&E, TV-PG) returns.

— Both a husband and wife become a "Person of Interest" (10 on CBS, repeat, TV-14).